GARDEN 2023

[Tommyice]

I’m in the Democratic People’s Republic of NJ. Means I need a firearms purchasing permit to get a BB gun. Actually surprised that I don’t need it to purchase a NERF gun.

I suspect it is living under my neighbor’s shed that is right up against the fence to my yard. It’s raised a little off the ground and I can see from my vantage point a carve out in the ground under the side of it.

I’m going to Lowes today so I’ll see what they have in the way of deterrents. Evidently word from the families of the two squirrels the dog killed within 2 weeks of each other hasn’t reached the groundhog community yet. I don’t think Heidi could kill this thing without a struggle and those buggers do carry rabies.

 

[UrbanHunter]

I’m in the Democratic People’s Republic of NJ. Means I need a firearms purchasing permit to get a BB gun. Actually surprised that I don’t need it to purchase a NERF gun.

I suspect it is living under my neighbor’s shed that is right up against the fence to my yard. It’s raised a little off the ground and I can see from my vantage point a carve out in the ground under the side of it.

I’m going to Lowes today so I’ll see what they have in the way of deterrents. Evidently word from the families of the two squirrels the dog killed within 2 weeks of each other hasn’t reached the groundhog community yet. I don’t think Heidi could kill this thing without a struggle and those buggers do carry rabies.

I wanted to reply with laugh, or a cry, or a sad, but I just couldn't make up my mind. So here is my suggestion based on my squirrel in my bird feeder experience. Go to your hardware store and get yourself about 8 2' pieces of 3/4" PVC Pipe, when you get it home drill 2 3/16" holes through each pipe, about 4"s apart towards one end of the pipe. Then buy an electric fence energizer and some aluminum wire from someplace like amazon... The 2' poles are your fence posts, run the wires through the holes. I would either go with 2 or 3 wires, if you go with 3 wires I would suggest hot at the top and bottom and ground in the middle, remember to ground the ground wire with a metal stake. I placed mine on one of those wireless remotes so I could leave it off most of the time but if I see "trouble" I can turn it on with the push of a button. It's kind of fun to watch from a window as you turn it on with an unsuspecting critter in contact with the wires.... I hid my energizer under an old 5 gallon bucket (I drilled holes in the side of the bucket for the wires) to keep the rain off the energizer. You can paint the bucket and put a potted plant on top of it for camouflage.

For deer, I've been told that putting a bit of peanut butter on the top hot wire helps. Seems they can't resist a taste and that jolt to the tongue makes a memorable impression...

Sorry, I've always been a "BAD EXAMPLE"

 

[elkhound]

I’m in the Democratic People’s Republic of NJ. Means I need a firearms purchasing permit to get a BB gun. Actually surprised that I don’t need it to purchase a NERF gun.

I suspect it is living under my neighbor’s shed that is right up against the fence to my yard. It’s raised a little off the ground and I can see from my vantage point a carve out in the ground under the side of it.

I’m going to Lowes today so I’ll see what they have in the way of deterrents. Evidently word from the families of the two squirrels the dog killed within 2 weeks of each other hasn’t reached the groundhog community yet. I don’t think Heidi could kill this thing without a struggle and those buggers do carry rabies.

havahart trap...easy peasy to catch groundhog in in.

 

[elkhound]

it was 39f here in mtns this morning and neighbors had frost on the roof!!

welcome to global warming....lol

 

[elkhound]

5.5# of peas this afternoon. total of 15# so far.

had to pick in big basket last two times now...lol

 

[Tommyice]

havahart trap...easy peasy to catch groundhog in in.

Then what? Look for my grandma’s depression era cookbook?

 

[elkhound]

Then what? Look for my grandma’s depression era cookbook?

drive to the river and baptize him!

 

[Tommyice]

drive to the river and baptize him!

I know myself and I would not be able to do that. I would be able to cook it though. Dug out my grandmother’s recipe book and found a recipe

 

[elkhound]

there was a time that been no trouble...but its no longer option for me.

but i can dig a hole and bury him and plant peas on top of him....lol

if forerunner can compost entire cow in his piles we can compost a groundhog in our gardens....lol

 

[UrbanHunter]

I have to confess, about 10 years ago I had a bumper hunting crop (5 animals in 2 days of hunting). I process my own animals so getting rid of leftovers can be an issue, if you have 5X it can be a big issue. I was able to find someone who wanted to process the hides, but the bones became my problem. So I cut the frozen bones into small chunks using a saws-all, crushed them with a sledge-hammer, and then rolled back about 2' of soil in my raised beds, and inserted a little to decompose over the winter (to be honest I distributed the crushed bone evenly over a 150 sq-ft area). I figured it was calcium, iron, and who knows what that the plants could use over time.... Yes, I know, I'm a BAD EXAMPLE (see what he's doing, don't do that!)
*****

But this is the gardening area and I am trying to get my in-door version of the stacking planters going.
I figure I can grow 8 things at a time with three rotations going 3 weeks apart. So after 9 weeks (63 days) I would have 24 plants started, with the first plantings getting ready for first harvest.

So What would YOU choose to plant, each growing space is about the size of 2 quarts/liters, surface area about the size of your spread hand and growing depth about 9".
I am thinking green onions, lettuce, spinach, radishes, beets, and turnips.

I have laurel, basil, parsley, thyme, and oregano growing on my shelves and outside all the time now, so they are not on my options list...

Anyway, what would YOU do?

 

[elkhound]

forerunner produced so much compost it was measured in acres and moved by bulldozer and backhoe and loaded in manure spreader and dump truck. anyway he would put entire cows in piles from his neighbors and then come back a few weeks later and pull the bones and run them through his tub grinder and then add it back.


he dug a 6 foot deep trench and filled with his compost and put his wife a grape arbor row in. in just a couple of years it looked like it been there for a very long time they grew so well. he had the most amazing gardens and crops.

 

[Tommyice]

forerunner produced so much compost it was measured in acres and moved by bulldozer and backhoe and loaded in manure spreader and dump truck. anyway he would put entire cows in piles from his neighbors and then come back a few weeks later and pull the bones and run them through his tub grinder and then add it back.


he dug a 6 foot deep trench and filled with his compost and put his wife a grape arbor row in. in just a couple of years it looked like it been there for a very long time they grew so well. he had the most amazing gardens and crops.

If I recall correctly, he also did some crazy knitting on giant needles.

 

[joel]

Anybody ever grow Dr. Martin lima beans?
I planted a few hills today.
An web friend sent me a few seeds, he had a 13 foot wall of beans, that he picked with a ladder. It looked like kudzu in the picture he posted.
I want to plant on a fence, but not sure that will work.

 

[Magpie]

Been picking strawberries from the polytunnel for about six weeks, which is some kind of record for me. Last week the outside ones ripened- I'm picking a pound a day from two beds, the family is delighted! Jam, muffins and breakfasts

 

[Wingnut]

Planted more sprouted watermelon seeds this morning... I put 'em in the "empty holes" where other seedlings failed. My new weed seedlings are doing alright, five of 'em are up above ground and I'm looking for the others to pop up soon. I'm keeping the tray of soil moist enough to prevent failure. I'm gonna leave these 'Purple African Magic' seedlings in the tray for a week or two, and let 'em get big enough to withstand heat, aridity, grasshoppers, etc. I'll put the tray out in the sun every day and bring it in at night, that should keep things under control until I put 'em in the ground. The watermelon and squash plants already in the ground are looking good, some of 'em have reached a decent size where growth is now visible on a daily basis. No sign of any fruit yet, but that's to be expected, as they probably need to flower first... I wish those monsoon rains would get here early, it's a PITA to hand water twice daily, which is what I'm doing with the garden. Oh, well, at least that yard time is quality time... I've also taken to watering at dusk and on into darkness, as it's much cooler and more pleasant that way, rather than baking under a blazing high desert sun.

Saw a HUGE grasshopper in the weed pen earlier, maybe it was a locust... thing was at least 4" long, would've made a meal for some Third World family. I didn't kill it, it was just doing its own thing, and there was only one, but I wonder what kinda damage a cloud of these things could do... it was the biggest grasshopper (or locust) I've ever seen in my life.

 

[UrbanHunter]

I am very excited about the progress of the plants in my vertical gardening systems. I can envision them being used to great effect going forward.

My 2 out door units are 18" diameter, each 3 layers high (12 growing spaces), I have a full salad on the lower levels and I planted squash and cucumbers on the top. I am using the Mr. Stacky systems, they are very heavy plastic and I hope they will hold up for years. If you are using drip irrigation you can water from the top very easily.

My big 18" indoor system is freestanding on a caster base so I can move it around. It is 8 growing layers tall (32 growing spaces) but watering is a little more difficult (but I'm designing something to address that!). I am currently assembling the lighting system I designed for it, but I want to finish the watering system so I can install it all at one time.

I have one of the Mr. Stacky 13" 5 tier systems set up in the house with 20+ strawberry plants, I planted them on Saturday and they are growing quickly. They are too tall for the shelves on my growing station so I ordered some more bases, some lazy susans, and another set of the 13" containers. I am going to be setting them up as 2 growing layers high in my growing station mounted on the lazy susan, so I can just spin them around to work with them.

My raised beds are producing well at this time, I need to buy a few rabbits so I can use all the extra lettuce I have... My okra starts are doing well on the growing shelves, having an oscillating fan blow on them has really cut down on the leggy-ness that I have seen in the past. They will be moving outdoors this weekend.

We have still not received any rain, May was 1/3 of normal and so far June has been completely dry, as a result my rain barrels are dry too... I designed them for 2 weeks without rain, but I just couldn't cover 5 weeks.....

 

[UrbanHunter]

I'm excited! I got an order of seeds and my lazy susans today! I have completed my design for my indoor stacked garden irrigation system, I hope to assemble it tonight. My strawberry plants all sprouted up and are now about 3"s high . I ordered another set but what I'm going to do with 40 strawberry plants is beyond my comprehension... I just couldn't resist!

My bell peppers are now over a foot high and putting on bloom.

And it's sprinkling outside!!! Yea, water! I am so happy life is good...

 

[joel]

My bell pepper plant has a golf ball pepper, but this is a plant from last year.
I kelp it in the house all winter, so no grow time.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Bummer, I didn't get my hardware to complete my indoor watering project, I needed grommets to close up some of the holes in a container and they are delayed... I did cut and fit the center sleeve to create a water tight passage in the center of the container but I want to put in the grommets before I glue the PVC sleeve into place. Wife didn't approve of buying the strawberry growing system, but it's ordered and all orders going forward must have prior Wife Authorization. I am hoping to be able to take some pictures as the plan comes together....

I received no response from Mr Stacky about obtaining containers without holes... So I am going to be blocking the holes myself using grommets.

 

[Pearl]

Bummer, I didn't get my hardware to complete my indoor watering project, I needed grommets to close up some of the holes in a container and they are delayed... I did cut and fit the center sleeve to create a water tight passage in the center of the container but I want to put in the grommets before I glue the PVC sleeve into place. Wife didn't approve of buying the strawberry growing system, but it's ordered and all orders going forward must have prior Wife Authorization. I am hoping to be able to take some pictures as the plan comes together....

I received no response from Mr Stacky about obtaining containers without holes... So I am going to be blocking the holes myself using grommets.

Looking forward to pictures!!

 

[winds-of-change]

My first harvest of sun gold cherry tomatoes. They are so sweet.

 

[ABR]

My first harvest of sun gold cherry tomatoes. They are so sweet.

Sun golds are my favorite to grow. Unfortunately I couldn't find any this year. I'm looking for seed to start my own next year.

 

[winds-of-change]

Sun golds are my favorite to grow. Unfortunately I couldn't find any this year. I'm looking for seed to start my own next year.

Unfortunately I only planted one plant this year. I grow them on grow bags. I can send you some seeds in the fall, if you’d like.

 

[ABR]

Unfortunately I only planted one plant this year. I grow them on grow bags. I can send you some seeds in the fall, if you’d like.

I may take you up on that if I can't find any They really are the best cherry type and do fantastic in the heat

 

[Neb]

Got around to trying to create a protective cage for the crops in the new 2 foot tall raised beds.

The previous cages were OK because they never left the ground and were just upended to get at the plants. The Princess would have a hard time removing and replacing the cages.

So a first go at the new design is designed to allow folding up one side at a time with hinges connecting the 2 halves. The frames are just clamped together for now to see how it looks.

The corners consists of bent angles secured by a single pop rivet.

24" wire fabric will make up the sides and top. That will be tomorrow fun.

Let's hope it will be light enough for The Princess to open.

Ben

 

[MoBookworm1957]

Few weeks ago the grand daughters( Estelle and Meredith) and I planted a small 3 tier raised bed over at my son's (Estelle's dad) house.
Radishes are up, cucumbers are up, green beans are looking good.
Lettuce is up and thriving.
Haven't seen watermelon yet, or carrots.
Tomatoes withered.
I'll have to take pictures if it to show you all.

 

[Magpie]

Lettuce isn't doing so well in the heat, a few bolted because we aren't using them fast enough I guess. I'm going to move them to a shadier spot today, plant a peony I have in a pot because I finally found the perfect spot and shift a few foxgloves that have popped up also. Its giving heavy rain so I'll hold off watering except for the potatoes I planted yesterday. They were in a bag I bought but were already sprouting. I don't have any 'Queens' growing so I thought I'd give them a try. Have Roosters and two French types down, chosen because 1. I couldn't get my usual ones because of Brexit (some British companies aren't shipping even to Northern Ireland, despite it technically being he same country. Too much paperwork) and 2. I thought I'd try some blight resistant ones as I don't spray. Started picking the Mange Tout for stir fries, the peas are flowering but very short. Bit disappointing as I built a huge archway with visions of shade and dangling peapods.

 

[winds-of-change]

I may take you up on that if I can't find any They really are the best cherry type and do fantastic in the heat

I’m in Oklahoma. It gets very hot here When my other tomato plant looks droopy, the sun gold plant keeps going strong. I can’t remember what variety my other tomato plant is but it grows big tomato. I only planted one of each because it’s just Hubby and I and he doesn’t really like tomatoes.

 

[lilmissy]

I too have been picking peas and some strawberries. We finally got a week of rain, but its kinda late. My lettuce has bolted. I am trying mulch in the garden this year, been watching the guy who made the video Back to Eden and he inspired me to give it a go.

 

[Neb]

Next step in the new cage design is to add hinges to join the two halves. Found a pair of hinges that fit.

Halves fold up fine.

Cut some 1" wire fabric and folded it to ALMOST fit. The center section is 1/2" too long and will not fit inside the frame. It would fit ok on the outside but I would not be happy with that.

I will have to straighten out one fold amd do it again right.

Ben